n8n-MCP

Instructions

Implementation Reference

• src/mcp/tools.ts:59-111 (schema)

  Defines the input schema, parameters, description, and output schema reference for the 'get_node' MCP tool
  { name: 'get_node', description: `Get node info with progressive detail levels and multiple modes. Detail: minimal (~200 tokens), standard (~1-2K, default), full (~3-8K). Modes: info (default), docs (markdown documentation), search_properties (find properties), versions/compare/breaking/migrations (version info). Use format='docs' for readable documentation, mode='search_properties' with propertyQuery for finding specific fields.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { nodeType: { type: 'string', description: 'Full node type: "nodes-base.httpRequest" or "nodes-langchain.agent"', }, detail: { type: 'string', enum: ['minimal', 'standard', 'full'], default: 'standard', description: 'Information detail level. standard=essential properties (recommended), full=everything', }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['info', 'docs', 'search_properties', 'versions', 'compare', 'breaking', 'migrations'], default: 'info', description: 'Operation mode. info=node schema, docs=readable markdown documentation, search_properties=find specific properties, versions/compare/breaking/migrations=version info', }, includeTypeInfo: { type: 'boolean', default: false, description: 'Include type structure metadata (type category, JS type, validation rules). Only applies to mode=info. Adds ~80-120 tokens per property.', }, includeExamples: { type: 'boolean', default: false, description: 'Include real-world configuration examples from templates. Only applies to mode=info with detail=standard. Adds ~200-400 tokens per example.', }, fromVersion: { type: 'string', description: 'Source version for compare/breaking/migrations modes (e.g., "1.0")', }, toVersion: { type: 'string', description: 'Target version for compare mode (e.g., "2.0"). Defaults to latest if omitted.', }, propertyQuery: { type: 'string', description: 'For mode=search_properties: search term to find properties (e.g., "auth", "header", "body")', }, maxPropertyResults: { type: 'number', description: 'For mode=search_properties: max results (default 20)', default: 20, }, }, required: ['nodeType'], }, },
• src/mcp/tool-docs/configuration/get-node.ts:3-88 (schema)

  Provides comprehensive ToolDocumentation object for 'get_node' including detailed parameter descriptions, examples, performance notes, best practices, pitfalls, and related tools
  export const getNodeDoc: ToolDocumentation = { name: 'get_node', category: 'configuration', essentials: { description: 'Unified node information tool with progressive detail levels and multiple modes. Get node schema, docs, search properties, or version info.', keyParameters: ['nodeType', 'detail', 'mode', 'includeTypeInfo', 'includeExamples'], example: 'get_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest", detail: "standard"})', performance: 'Instant (<10ms) for minimal/standard, moderate for full', tips: [ 'Use detail="standard" (default) for most tasks - shows required fields', 'Use mode="docs" for readable markdown documentation', 'Use mode="search_properties" with propertyQuery to find specific fields', 'Use mode="versions" to check version history and breaking changes', 'Add includeExamples=true to get real-world configuration examples' ] }, full: { description: `**Detail Levels (mode="info", default):** - minimal (~200 tokens): Basic metadata only - nodeType, displayName, description, category - standard (~1-2K tokens): Essential properties + operations - recommended for most tasks - full (~3-8K tokens): Complete node schema - use only when standard insufficient **Operation Modes:** - info (default): Node schema with configurable detail level - docs: Readable markdown documentation with examples and patterns - search_properties: Find specific properties within a node - versions: List all available versions with breaking changes summary - compare: Compare two versions with property-level changes - breaking: Show only breaking changes between versions - migrations: Show auto-migratable changes between versions`, parameters: { nodeType: { type: 'string', required: true, description: 'Full node type with prefix: "nodes-base.httpRequest" or "nodes-langchain.agent"' }, detail: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'Detail level for mode=info: "minimal", "standard" (default), "full"' }, mode: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'Operation mode: "info" (default), "docs", "search_properties", "versions", "compare", "breaking", "migrations"' }, includeTypeInfo: { type: 'boolean', required: false, description: 'Include type structure metadata (validation rules, JS types). Adds ~80-120 tokens per property' }, includeExamples: { type: 'boolean', required: false, description: 'Include real-world configuration examples from templates. Adds ~200-400 tokens per example' }, propertyQuery: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'For mode=search_properties: search term to find properties (e.g., "auth", "header", "body")' }, maxPropertyResults: { type: 'number', required: false, description: 'For mode=search_properties: max results (default 20)' }, fromVersion: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'For compare/breaking/migrations modes: source version (e.g., "1.0")' }, toVersion: { type: 'string', required: false, description: 'For compare mode: target version (e.g., "2.0"). Defaults to latest' } }, returns: `Depends on mode: - info: Node schema with properties based on detail level - docs: Markdown documentation string - search_properties: Array of matching property paths with descriptions - versions: Version history with breaking changes flags - compare/breaking/migrations: Version comparison details`, examples: [ '// Standard detail (recommended for AI agents)\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest"})', '// Minimal for quick metadata check\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.slack", detail: "minimal"})', '// Full detail with examples\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.googleSheets", detail: "full", includeExamples: true})', '// Get readable documentation\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.webhook", mode: "docs"})', '// Search for authentication properties\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest", mode: "search_properties", propertyQuery: "auth"})', '// Check version history\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.executeWorkflow", mode: "versions"})', '// Compare specific versions\nget_node({nodeType: "nodes-base.httpRequest", mode: "compare", fromVersion: "3.0", toVersion: "4.1"})' ], useCases: [ 'Configure nodes for workflow building (use detail=standard)', 'Find specific configuration options (use mode=search_properties)', 'Get human-readable node documentation (use mode=docs)', 'Check for breaking changes before version upgrades (use mode=breaking)', 'Understand complex types with includeTypeInfo=true' ], performance: `Token costs by detail level: - minimal: ~200 tokens - standard: ~1000-2000 tokens (default) - full: ~3000-8000 tokens - includeTypeInfo: +80-120 tokens per property - includeExamples: +200-400 tokens per example - Version modes: ~400-1200 tokens`, bestPractices: [ 'Start with detail="standard" - it covers 95% of use cases', 'Only use detail="full" if standard is missing required properties', 'Use mode="docs" when explaining nodes to users', 'Combine includeTypeInfo=true for complex nodes (filter, resourceMapper)', 'Check version history before configuring versioned nodes' ], pitfalls: [ 'detail="full" returns large responses (~100KB) - use sparingly', 'Node type must include prefix (nodes-base. or nodes-langchain.)', 'includeExamples only works with mode=info and detail=standard', 'Version modes require nodes with multiple versions in database' ], relatedTools: ['search_nodes', 'validate_node', 'validate_workflow'] } };
• src/mcp/tools.ts:9-392 (registration)

  Registers the 'get_node' tool in the main array of documentation tools exported for MCP server registration
  export const n8nDocumentationToolsFinal: ToolDefinition[] = [ { name: 'tools_documentation', description: `Get documentation for n8n MCP tools. Call without parameters for quick start guide. Use topic parameter to get documentation for specific tools. Use depth='full' for comprehensive documentation.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { topic: { type: 'string', description: 'Tool name (e.g., "search_nodes") or "overview" for general guide. Leave empty for quick reference.', }, depth: { type: 'string', enum: ['essentials', 'full'], description: 'Level of detail. "essentials" (default) for quick reference, "full" for comprehensive docs.', default: 'essentials', }, }, }, }, { name: 'search_nodes', description: `Search n8n nodes by keyword with optional real-world examples. Pass query as string. Example: query="webhook" or query="database". Returns max 20 results. Use includeExamples=true to get top 2 template configs per node.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { query: { type: 'string', description: 'Search terms. Use quotes for exact phrase.', }, limit: { type: 'number', description: 'Max results (default 20)', default: 20, }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['OR', 'AND', 'FUZZY'], description: 'OR=any word, AND=all words, FUZZY=typo-tolerant', default: 'OR', }, includeExamples: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Include top 2 real-world configuration examples from popular templates (default: false)', default: false, }, }, required: ['query'], }, }, { name: 'get_node', description: `Get node info with progressive detail levels and multiple modes. Detail: minimal (~200 tokens), standard (~1-2K, default), full (~3-8K). Modes: info (default), docs (markdown documentation), search_properties (find properties), versions/compare/breaking/migrations (version info). Use format='docs' for readable documentation, mode='search_properties' with propertyQuery for finding specific fields.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { nodeType: { type: 'string', description: 'Full node type: "nodes-base.httpRequest" or "nodes-langchain.agent"', }, detail: { type: 'string', enum: ['minimal', 'standard', 'full'], default: 'standard', description: 'Information detail level. standard=essential properties (recommended), full=everything', }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['info', 'docs', 'search_properties', 'versions', 'compare', 'breaking', 'migrations'], default: 'info', description: 'Operation mode. info=node schema, docs=readable markdown documentation, search_properties=find specific properties, versions/compare/breaking/migrations=version info', }, includeTypeInfo: { type: 'boolean', default: false, description: 'Include type structure metadata (type category, JS type, validation rules). Only applies to mode=info. Adds ~80-120 tokens per property.', }, includeExamples: { type: 'boolean', default: false, description: 'Include real-world configuration examples from templates. Only applies to mode=info with detail=standard. Adds ~200-400 tokens per example.', }, fromVersion: { type: 'string', description: 'Source version for compare/breaking/migrations modes (e.g., "1.0")', }, toVersion: { type: 'string', description: 'Target version for compare mode (e.g., "2.0"). Defaults to latest if omitted.', }, propertyQuery: { type: 'string', description: 'For mode=search_properties: search term to find properties (e.g., "auth", "header", "body")', }, maxPropertyResults: { type: 'number', description: 'For mode=search_properties: max results (default 20)', default: 20, }, }, required: ['nodeType'], }, }, { name: 'validate_node', description: `Validate n8n node configuration. Use mode='full' for comprehensive validation with errors/warnings/suggestions, mode='minimal' for quick required fields check. Example: nodeType="nodes-base.slack", config={resource:"channel",operation:"create"}`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { nodeType: { type: 'string', description: 'Node type as string. Example: "nodes-base.slack"', }, config: { type: 'object', description: 'Configuration as object. For simple nodes use {}. For complex nodes include fields like {resource:"channel",operation:"create"}', }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['full', 'minimal'], description: 'Validation mode. full=comprehensive validation with errors/warnings/suggestions, minimal=quick required fields check only. Default is "full"', default: 'full', }, profile: { type: 'string', enum: ['strict', 'runtime', 'ai-friendly', 'minimal'], description: 'Profile for mode=full: "minimal", "runtime", "ai-friendly", or "strict". Default is "ai-friendly"', default: 'ai-friendly', }, }, required: ['nodeType', 'config'], additionalProperties: false, }, outputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { nodeType: { type: 'string' }, workflowNodeType: { type: 'string' }, displayName: { type: 'string' }, valid: { type: 'boolean' }, errors: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'object', properties: { type: { type: 'string' }, property: { type: 'string' }, message: { type: 'string' }, fix: { type: 'string' } } } }, warnings: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'object', properties: { type: { type: 'string' }, property: { type: 'string' }, message: { type: 'string' }, suggestion: { type: 'string' } } } }, suggestions: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' } }, missingRequiredFields: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' }, description: 'Only present in mode=minimal' }, summary: { type: 'object', properties: { hasErrors: { type: 'boolean' }, errorCount: { type: 'number' }, warningCount: { type: 'number' }, suggestionCount: { type: 'number' } } } }, required: ['nodeType', 'displayName', 'valid'] }, }, { name: 'get_template', description: `Get template by ID. Use mode to control response size: nodes_only (minimal), structure (nodes+connections), full (complete workflow).`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { templateId: { type: 'number', description: 'The template ID to retrieve', }, mode: { type: 'string', enum: ['nodes_only', 'structure', 'full'], description: 'Response detail level. nodes_only: just node list, structure: nodes+connections, full: complete workflow JSON.', default: 'full', }, }, required: ['templateId'], }, }, { name: 'search_templates', description: `Search templates with multiple modes. Use searchMode='keyword' for text search, 'by_nodes' to find templates using specific nodes, 'by_task' for curated task-based templates, 'by_metadata' for filtering by complexity/setup time/services.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { searchMode: { type: 'string', enum: ['keyword', 'by_nodes', 'by_task', 'by_metadata'], description: 'Search mode. keyword=text search (default), by_nodes=find by node types, by_task=curated task templates, by_metadata=filter by complexity/services', default: 'keyword', }, // For searchMode='keyword' query: { type: 'string', description: 'For searchMode=keyword: search keyword (e.g., "chatbot")', }, fields: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string', enum: ['id', 'name', 'description', 'author', 'nodes', 'views', 'created', 'url', 'metadata'], }, description: 'For searchMode=keyword: fields to include in response. Default: all fields.', }, // For searchMode='by_nodes' nodeTypes: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' }, description: 'For searchMode=by_nodes: array of node types (e.g., ["n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest", "n8n-nodes-base.slack"])', }, // For searchMode='by_task' task: { type: 'string', enum: [ 'ai_automation', 'data_sync', 'webhook_processing', 'email_automation', 'slack_integration', 'data_transformation', 'file_processing', 'scheduling', 'api_integration', 'database_operations' ], description: 'For searchMode=by_task: the type of task', }, // For searchMode='by_metadata' category: { type: 'string', description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: filter by category (e.g., "automation", "integration")', }, complexity: { type: 'string', enum: ['simple', 'medium', 'complex'], description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: filter by complexity level', }, maxSetupMinutes: { type: 'number', description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: maximum setup time in minutes', minimum: 5, maximum: 480, }, minSetupMinutes: { type: 'number', description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: minimum setup time in minutes', minimum: 5, maximum: 480, }, requiredService: { type: 'string', description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: filter by required service (e.g., "openai", "slack")', }, targetAudience: { type: 'string', description: 'For searchMode=by_metadata: filter by target audience (e.g., "developers", "marketers")', }, // Common pagination limit: { type: 'number', description: 'Maximum number of results. Default 20.', default: 20, minimum: 1, maximum: 100, }, offset: { type: 'number', description: 'Pagination offset. Default 0.', default: 0, minimum: 0, }, }, }, }, { name: 'validate_workflow', description: `Full workflow validation: structure, connections, expressions, AI tools. Returns errors/warnings/fixes. Essential before deploy.`, inputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { workflow: { type: 'object', description: 'The complete workflow JSON to validate. Must include nodes array and connections object.', }, options: { type: 'object', properties: { validateNodes: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Validate individual node configurations. Default true.', default: true, }, validateConnections: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Validate node connections and flow. Default true.', default: true, }, validateExpressions: { type: 'boolean', description: 'Validate n8n expressions syntax and references. Default true.', default: true, }, profile: { type: 'string', enum: ['minimal', 'runtime', 'ai-friendly', 'strict'], description: 'Validation profile for node validation. Default "runtime".', default: 'runtime', }, }, description: 'Optional validation settings', }, }, required: ['workflow'], additionalProperties: false, }, outputSchema: { type: 'object', properties: { valid: { type: 'boolean' }, summary: { type: 'object', properties: { totalNodes: { type: 'number' }, enabledNodes: { type: 'number' }, triggerNodes: { type: 'number' }, validConnections: { type: 'number' }, invalidConnections: { type: 'number' }, expressionsValidated: { type: 'number' }, errorCount: { type: 'number' }, warningCount: { type: 'number' } } }, errors: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'object', properties: { node: { type: 'string' }, message: { type: 'string' }, details: { type: 'string' } } } }, warnings: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'object', properties: { node: { type: 'string' }, message: { type: 'string' }, details: { type: 'string' } } } }, suggestions: { type: 'array', items: { type: 'string' } } }, required: ['valid', 'summary'] }, }, ];
• src/mcp-tools-engine.ts:92-95 (helper)

  Implements searchNodeProperties used by get_node in 'search_properties' mode (propertyQuery becomes query)
  async searchNodeProperties(args: any) { return this.repository.searchNodeProperties(args.nodeType, args.query, args.maxResults || 20); }
• src/mcp-tools-engine.ts:47-50 (helper)

  Implements getNodeDocumentation used by get_node in 'docs' mode
  async getNodeDocumentation(args: any) { const node = await this.repository.getNodeByType(args.nodeType); return node?.documentation || null; }
• src/mcp-tools-engine.ts:27-29 (handler)

  Core handler getNodeInfo called by get_node in 'info' mode with varying detail levels via additional filtering logic
  async getNodeInfo(args: any) { return this.repository.getNodeByType(args.nodeType); }
• src/mcp-tools-engine.ts:31-45 (helper)

  Implements getNodeEssentials used for 'standard' detail level in get_node 'info' mode (PropertyFilter filters properties)
  async getNodeEssentials(args: any) { const node = await this.repository.getNodeByType(args.nodeType); if (!node) return null; // Filter to essentials using static method const essentials = PropertyFilter.getEssentials(node.properties || [], args.nodeType); return { nodeType: node.nodeType, displayName: node.displayName, description: node.description, category: node.category, required: essentials.required, common: essentials.common }; }